Geoffrey Fox

Reflections & Inquiries

Research: Fact and fancy in historical fiction

2021.11.04 - Tags: ,

After reading  A Gift for the Sultan and my latest novel, Rabble! , friend and fellow novelist Peter de Lissovoy (links below) wrote me: “I hate to think of all the research you did. But it must have been a joy at times, as you made discoveries, it must have been, given the joy and … read more »

Politics and personalities, war and suffrage

2021.10.20 - Tags: ,

To End All Wars: A Story of Loyalty and Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild My rating: 5 of 5 stars This is brilliant reporting of the British side of the Great European War of 1914 to 1918, “World War I” as we now know it. The focus is not on the big strategic decisions, the … read more »

Days of struggle in Chicago: the Rainbow Coaltion

2021.10.18 - Tags: , ,

Thanks to my good friend, novelist  Pete de Lissovoy, for pointing me to this very very good documentary! The First Rainbow Coalition (55 minutes) Yes, I was there then, and as involved as I could be, given who I was: a grad student, white, at nearby (to Chicago) Northwestern University. I got to know Cha … read more »

150 years on, the struggle continues

2021.05.28 - Tags:

Barricade, Paris 1871

Today, 28 May 2021, is the 150th anniversary of the final day of “The week of blood”, La semaine sanglante of 21-28 May 1871, that destroyed the Paris Commune. But as in the song by Eugène Pottier “La Commune n’est pas morte…”  Its values are revived and its heroes and heroines quoted in every new … read more »

The Paris Commune and the crisis of imperialism

2021.05.01 - Tags:

Commune(s), 1870-1871 by Quentin Deluermoz My rating: 5 of 5 stars The eruption of the Commune in the spring of 1871 in Paris, the capital of one of richest and most powerful global empires, caused tremendous commotion in all of Europe and beyond. And today, 150 years later, the Commune continues to resound as “a … read more »